Marla Johnston, PhD

I have over twenty years of college-level teaching experience. I am a dedicated, hardworking Professor and Chairperson who knows that every interaction with a student matters. I always reach out to students, make myself available, and strive to be present for not only my students, but for my staff, my colleagues, and for the places and committees on campus where I can play a role. My career has evolved from adjunct to tenured faculty and I have had time to become seasoned in my approach to teaching. I incorporate real-life, relatable stories into my lectures and try to bridge theory to example. As a Chairperson I always strive to put the needs of my department first. In addition to teaching, student advising, committee leadership, and all the requirements of being a Chair, I also continue to do research, mentor student research, and publish.

• Ho, H., McCutheon, L., Johnston, M (In revision, October 2021). Political orientation predicts celebrity interest and admiration for a favorite celebrity, North American Journal of Psychology.
• Grabbe, J., Jenkins, W, Johnston, M. McCutheon, L., & Gillen, M. (Under review, 2021). Admiration for celebrities and belief in conspiracy theories, Psychology of Popular Media
• Figuccio, M., & Johnston, M. (Under review, 2021). Kahoot! Making Child Development Child’s Play: Kahoot! Review Sessions Predict Child Development Exam Scores and Promote Student Engagement, Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education.
• Collison, B., McCutheon, L., Johnston, M., & Edman, J. (2020). How popular are pop stars? The false consensus of perceived celebrity popularity, Psychology of Popular Media, http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000271
• Collison, B., McCutheon, L., Edman, J., Johnston, M. (2020). Gender, age, martial status, and selection of a favorite celebrity of the opposite gender, Current Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1007/s1244-020-00715-2
• Islam, S., Permzadian, V., Choudhury R.J., Johnston, M., Anderson, M. (2018). Proactive personality as a predictor academic performance and citizenship behaviors among undergraduate students. Learning and Individual Differences, 65, 41-49.
• Johnston, M. & Saltzstein, H. (2016). “That’s not fair!”: Children’s judgments of maternal fairness and good/bad intentions. Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences, 10(1), 82-92.
• Johnston, M. (2016). Children’s judgments of moral behavior and maternal fairness in transgression encounters. North American Journal of Psychology, 18(3), 577-596.

• Johnston, M., & Saltzstein, H. (2013, June). “That’s not fair”: Children’s judgment of moral behavior and maternal fairness in real-life and hypothetical encounters. Paper presented as part of a symposium at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Jean Piaget Society, Chicago, IL.
• Johnston, M., & Saltzstein, H. (2010). “That’s not fair!”: How maternal discipline and cognitive development influence children’s judgments of what is good, bad, and fair and unfair.” Paper presented at the 40th Annual Meeting of the Jean Piaget Society, St. Louis, MO.

• Guaqueta, M., Johnston, M., Porubanova, M., (2017, May) Adult children of divorce: The unexpected relationship of parental overprotection with self-esteem and attachment style. Poster accepted for the 29th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Boston, MA.
• Gerasimovich, D., Brocker, D.A., Walker, H.T., Johnston, M., Porubanova, M., (2017, May). Flashbulb memories for the 2016 presidential election. Poster accepted for the 29th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Boston, MA.
• Colombo, A., Johnston, M., & Porubanova, M. (2016, May). Parental bonding, anxiety, and stress: The impact of Mom versus Dad. Poster presentedat the 28th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL.
• Colombo, A., & Johnston, M. (2016, February). Parental bonding, anxiety, and stress: The impact of Mom versus Dad. Poster being presented at the 2016 Undergraduate Research and Creative Works Poster Forum., Albany, NY.
• Islam, S., Permzadian, V., Choudhury, R., Johnston, M. (2015, March). A path analysis of the effect of perceived weight discrimination on college student retention. Poster accepted for presentation at the International Convention of Psychological Science (ICPS), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
• Johnston, M. & Porubanova, M. (2015, March). Preparing Undergraduates for the Real World: Graduate Training Course and Mentoring an Undergraduate Research Lab. Oral Presentation at the 29th Annual Conference on the Teaching of Psychology.
• Islam, S., Permzadian, V., Choudhury, R., Johnston, M. (2014, May). Self-efficacy as a moderator between perceived weight discrimination and undergraduate social adjustment. Poster presented at the 26th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, San Francisco, CA.
• Johnston, M. & Porubanova, M. (2014, April). Stereotyping and Discrimination: The Labeling Exercise in Action and Shaping the Student Experience. Paper and exercise presented at the 28th Annual Conference on the Teaching of Psychology.

Parenting, parental lying, moral development, language development, ethics, maternal fairness, gifted children, divorce, adolescent stress, child development, parental discipline and punishment, academic advising and student success.

• Grants Awarded In the Fall of 2015 I received an undergraduate conference grant from Psi Chi (The International Psychology Honor Society). This $1,000 grants went to help pay for Psi Chi members from Farmingdale State College to attend the 30th Annual Teaching of Psychology Conference in Tarrytown, NY in April of 2016.
• Academic Honors: The Graduate School and University Center of CUNY University Fellowship, The Graduate School and University Center of CUNY Psi Chi, The National Honor Society in Psychology Psi Chi UMCP Chapter: Induction Committee Head, Vice President, President Golden Key National Honor Society UMCP Academic Excellence Award UMCP Psychology Chairman’s Award